vis-à-vis

See also: vis-a-vis and vis-á-vis

English

WOTD – 14 November 2008

Alternative forms

• vis-a-vis

Etymology

Unadapted borrowing from French vis-à-vis.

Pronunciation

• (UK) IPA^(key): /viːz.ɑːˈviː/, /viːz.æˈviː/
• (US) IPA^(key): /viz.ɑˈvi/, /viz.əˈvi/
• (Canada) IPA^(key): /viz.əˈvi/

• Audio (US):

  (file)

  ,

  Audio (US):

  (file)

Preposition

vis-à-vis

1. In relation to; compared with.

   Canada's role vis-à-vis the United States' in Afghanistan

2. Opposite; across from; set so as to be facing.

   He was seated vis-à-vis the president.

Translations

in relation to

• Arabic: فِي مُوَاجَهَة (fī muwājaha)
• Czech: vůči (cs) (+ dative)
• Danish: sammenlignet med
• Finnish: verrattuna (fi), suhteessa
• French: vis-à-vis (fr)
• Hungarian: viszonylatban, vonatkozásában, vonatkozóan (hu), vonatkozólag (hu), illetően (hu), kapcsolatban (hu), (compared to) képest (hu)
• Italian: in base a
• Malay: vis-a-vis
• Norwegian:

  Bokmål: vis-à-vis (no), sammenlignet med

• Portuguese: frente a, defronte (pt),
• Russian: по отноше́нию к (ru) (po otnošéniju k) (+ dative case), в отноше́нии (ru) (v otnošénii) (+ genitive case), визави́ (ru) (vizaví) (+ genitive case)
• Swedish: visavi (sv)

opposite

• Arabic: فِي مُوَاجَهَة (fī muwājaha)
• Czech: naproti (cs) (+ dative)
• Danish: overfor, modsat
• Dutch: tegenover (nl)
• Finnish: vastapäätä (fi)
• French: vis-à-vis (fr)
• German: gegenüber (de), vis-à-vis (de)
• Hungarian: szemben (hu), szemközt (hu), átellenben (hu)
• Malay: vis-a-vis
• Norwegian:

  Bokmål: vis-à-vis (no), overfor (no), rett imot

• Polish: naprzeciw (pl), naprzeciwko (pl), vis-à-vis (pl) (literally)
• Portuguese: face a face, cara a cara (pt)
• Russian: напро́тив (ru) (naprótiv) (+ genitive case), насу́против (ru) (nasúprotiv) (dated, + genitive case), визави́ (ru) (vizaví)

Noun

Historical vis-à-vis carriage (1)

vis-à-vis (plural vis-à-vis)

1. (historical) A small horse-drawn carriage for two people sitting facing each other.
   • 1761, Laurence Sterne, The Life & Opinions of Tristram Shandy, Gentleman, volume 3, Penguin, published 2003, page 188:

     there is not a greater difference between a single-horse chair and madam Pompadour’s vis a vis, than betwixt a single amour, and an amour thus nobly doubled

2. A sofa with seats for two people, so arranged that the occupants are face to face while sitting on opposite sides.
3. One of two (or more) people facing or opposite each other.
   • 1933, Vera Brittain, Testament of Youth, Penguin, published 2005, page 456:

     But the wrath that I awaited did not descend. Instead, my young vis-à-vis merely looked melancholy.

4. A date or escort in a social event.
   • 1888, Rudyard Kipling, “The Daughter of the Regiment”, in Plain Tales from the Hills, Folio Society, published 2005, page 136:

     That was what Miss McKenna said, and the Sergeant who was my vis-à-vis looked the same thing.

5. A person holding a corresponding position in another organisation.

   Synonym: counterpart

   I talked with my vis-à-vis in the French embassy.

Translations

carriage for two

• French: vis-à-vis (fr) m
• Russian: двуко́лка (ru) f (dvukólka) (two-wheeler), визави́ (ru) f (vizaví)

person facing another

• Finnish: pari (fi), tanssipari (fi), pöytäpari
• French: vis-à-vis (fr) m
• Russian: партнёр (ru) m (partnjór), партнёрша (ru) f (partnjórša), визави́ (ru) m or f (vizaví)

date

• Finnish: seuralainen (fi)
• Portuguese: acompanhante (pt) c
• Russian: ухажёр (ru) m (uxažór) (male), кавале́р (ru) m (kavalér) (male)

counterpart — see counterpart

Adjective

vis-à-vis (not comparable)

1. Face-to-face.
2. (numismatics, of a coin) Having two portraits facing each other.

Translations

face-to-face — see face-to-face

Adverb

vis-à-vis (not comparable)

1. Face to face (with another).
   • 1883, William Wallace Cook, “Aquastor”, in Overland Monthly‎^[1], page 14:

     […] turning the seat in front so we could sit vis-a-vis

2. (archaic) In a position facing a specified or implied subject.

Translations

face to face

• Catalan: en relació a
• Finnish: kasvokkain (fi), vastatusten, vastakkain (fi)
• German: im Vergleich zu, gegenüber (de)
• Italian: in relazione a
• Korean: ~에 관하여 (-e gwanhayeo)
• Portuguese: face a face, cara a cara (pt)
• Russian: друг про́тив дру́га (drug prótiv drúga)
• Serbo-Croatian: licem u lice, ((+ instrumental)) u usporedbi s, ((+ genitive)) u vezi
• Spanish: en relación a
• Turkish: bire bir, doğrudan doğruya

Further reading

• Vis-à-vis (carriage) on Wikipedia.Wikipedia

Danish

Adverb

vis-à-vis

1. Alternative spelling of vis-a-vis

French

Etymology

From vis +‎ à +‎ vis, vis m being an obsolete word for “face”, replaced in Modern French by visage m.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /vi.za.vi/

• Audio:

  (file)

Adverb

vis-à-vis

1. (archaic) Facing, face-to-face

   Synonym: face à face

   (Can we add an example for this sense?)

Noun

vis-à-vis m (plural vis-à-vis)

1. a meeting, especially a private one

   (Can we add an example for this sense?)

   Synonym: tête-à-tête m

2. a position where two things face each other

   Les maisons sont en vis-à-vis.

   The houses face each other.

3. an equivalent

   Synonym: homologue m or f by sense

   • 1886, Auguste de Villiers de L’Isle-Adam, L'Ève future, XVII. Dissection

     Quoi de plus attristant, de plus dissolvant que l’abominable être qu’on nomme une « femme d’esprit », si ce n’est son vis-à-vis, le beau parleur ?

     What is worse, more dissolving than this abomination called the "spiritual woman", if not its equivalent, the "beau parleur"?

4. (rare) What faces someone or something, such as a view or the person seated in front

   (Can we add an example for this sense?)

5. (historical) a type of S-shaped couch or sofa that allows people to be seated face-to-face

Derived terms

• vis-à-vis de

Descendants

• → Danish: vis-a-vis
• → English: vis-à-vis
• → German: vis-à-vis
• → Swedish: visavi

Further reading

• “vis-à-vis”, in Trésor de la langue française informatisé [Digitized Treasury of the French Language], 2012.

German

Alternative forms

• vis-a-vis

Etymology

Unadapted borrowing from French vis-à-vis.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /vizaˈviː/

• Audio:

  (file)

Preposition

vis-à-vis [with dative]

1. (literary, dated outside Switzerland) vis-à-vis

   Synonym: gegenüber

   • 2002, “Hi Freaks”, in Tocotronic, performed by Tocotronic:

     Hi freaks look at me / Autogramme vis-à-vis / Gegenüber einer Welt / Deren Umriss uns gefällt / Das Geld steht schon bereit / Hast du morgen Zeit

     (please add an English translation of this quotation)

Further reading

• “vis-à-vis” in Duden online
• “vis-à-vis” in Digitales Wörterbuch der deutschen Sprache

Indonesian

Etymology

Unadapted borrowing from French vis-à-vis.

Adverb

vis-à-vis

1. vis-à-vis, face to face

   Synonym: berhadap-hadapan

   (Can we add an example for this sense?)

Preposition

vis-à-vis

1. vis-à-vis, in relation to

   Synonym: terhadap

   (Can we add an example for this sense?)

2. about

   Synonym: mengenai

   (Can we add an example for this sense?)

Further reading

• “vis-à-vis” in Kamus Besar Bahasa Indonesia, Jakarta: Agency for Language Development and Cultivation – Ministry of Education, Culture, Research, and Technology of the Republic of Indonesia, 2016.

Polish

Etymology

Unadapted borrowing from French vis-à-vis.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /viˈza.vi/

• Audio:

  (file)

• Rhymes: -avi
• Syllabification: vis-‧à-‧vis

Preposition

vis-à-vis (+ genitive)

1. opposite (across from)

   Synonyms: naprzeciw, naprzeciwko

   (Can we add an example for this sense?)

Further reading

• vis-à-vis in Wielki słownik języka polskiego, Instytut Języka Polskiego PAN
• vis-à-vis in Polish dictionaries at PWN